


Bloody Knuckles

by Topographical_Map_Of_Utah



Series: Along Came Baby [29]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Bullying, Finn is tired, Kid Fic, M/M, Minor Injuries, Trans! Poe Dameron
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-14
Updated: 2017-05-14
Packaged: 2018-10-31 11:17:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10898235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Topographical_Map_Of_Utah/pseuds/Topographical_Map_Of_Utah
Summary: Shara gets into a fight. But sheisPoe's kid, so I'm not really surprised.





	Bloody Knuckles

"Why d'you have a tattoo, Papá?" Shara asked as she skipped down the street, her backpack bouncing on her shoulders. Poe sighed and pulled her back, adjusting the buckles while she squirmed in protest. She was always fiddling with the straps so the bag hung down to her butt, almost. It would be funny if Finn didn't care so much about her spine. 

"'Cause I wanted one." he said simply. And because he got really, really drunk one night with his squadron nearly a decade back, but Shara didn't need to know that part. She just nodded and smiled, tracing the tiny feather on Poe's inner wrist. His mom had always called him _pollito_ , so it just kind of fit.

"Can I get one?" Aiden asked, tugging on Poe's sleeve. 

"When your older, if you want." Sam burbled in his arms and Poe shushed him, pressing a kiss to his curls while still trying to hold Shara in check. This was too many kids for one man to deal with. He only had so many arms.

"I'm gonna get one then. And it's gonna be angel wings on the back of my arms and I'll look awesome." Shara concluded as they got to the schoolyard gate, hoping to cause a sensation. 

"Maybe when you're older." Was all Poe had to say about that. He really didn't have any right to tell his kids what they could or couldn't do to their own bodies, all things considered.

Even after he waved her off, Shara stuck near the fence, watching Sam smiling over his shoulder and Aiden clinging to Poe's leg. He only had school after lunch, which wasn't all that fair, Shara thought. When they turned the corner she approached a circle of kids playing jump rope, hovered on the periphery, and then wandered off to sit under the tree by the school door. A squirrel lived there, and last Shara had seen her there was a baby coiled around her mouth. Squirrels sure carried their babies a funny way. Then again, they were a bit too small to justify strollers.

Eventually, to Shara's dismay, the bell rang and she joined the throngs of kids meandering into class, sticking her backpack in the cubby and taking her place at the bright orange desk she shared with the only two friends she had. Only today Aaron and Susanna were both sick, leaving Shara all by her lonesome. It wasn't that bad, though. It just meant she had more table space.

While she was spreading her things across the table Teacher walked over to her, crouching at her side and smiling the big plastic smile grown ups always gave. Shara wasn't sure why it was always pointed at her, but she had sort of grown accustomed to it.

"Hi, Shara. How are you, today?"

"Good." Shara said softly, drawing a little bit back from Teacher. She smelled like lemons and peppermint, trying a bit too hard to be sweet. 

"That's good. You look lonely, over here. Would you like to sit with somebody?"

Teacher slowed her voice whenever she talked to Shara, which was a tad bit annoying. Knowing that saying she wanted to stay would raise questions, Shara gathered up her things and sat down at the big green desk Teacher pointed her to. Sullen, she considered the two kids across from her. She had never really remembered their names. It's not like they talked to each other, so why bother? 

The day passed as slowly as usual. There was grammar, math, science. Shara was dozing off the whole way through. A couple times she almost fell good and truly asleep. At the very least she learnt that she was sitting with Emma and Nick. Not much of a takeaway, but it was something.

Things picked up a bit after lunch. Her classmates were making cards for Mother's Day, covering pre-cut hearts in pink glitter and crayons. While the other kids occupied themselves with that, Shara got started on her math homework, just for want of something to do. Her lack of participation didn't go unnoticed, though.

"Why aren't you making a card?" Emma asked after awhile, looking up from her construction paper and glue. 

"'Cause I don't have a mom." 

"Yeah, you do." Emma scoffed. "My mommy said she saw your mom pregnant. So you got a mom."

"No. I have two dads." Shara struggled to keep her eyes on her addition homework, taking deep breaths like Papá had shown her. He was a hothead too, so there were all sorts of ways he knew to manage it.

"No. You got a mom and a dad. You were born the normal way, so that means you got a mom." Nick piped up at Emma's side, throwing a pipe cleaner at Shara's head. Teacher said he did that because he liked her, but Shara wasn't so sure.

"No, I don't. I got a Papá who can have babies. That's it." 

"No, you don't. They got you bi'logicality." Nick insisted, looking puffed up and pompous after using a word out of his sister's science textbook. "When a family's got two boys they have to adopt. Having a baby the normal way's only for when there's a mommy and a daddy. That way's only for normal families."

"We are a normal family." Shara insisted.

"If you're a normal family that means you have a mom. Families with two boys are okay, but not normal. So they gotta adopt." Emma chimed in. Shara tightened her lip and shook her head. 

"We're a normal family. We are."

"So you have a mom. Or you're not normal. You're a experiment, I think. They made you in a test tube. You're a science project." A crooked smile spread across Nick's face. He would need braces in a few years.

"Yeah. You don't got normal parents, so you're not normal. You're...you're like Frankenstein." Realisation dawned on Emma's face, theatrical horror blanching her skin. "You're like a _monster_."

"Franken-Shara, Franken-Shara." Nick giggled. He stuck his arms out in front of himself and moaned like a zombie, getting the attention of a few other kids, a couple of whom chimed in with his chants of _Franken-Shara, Franken-Shara, Franken-Shara..._

Shara lowered her head, heat rising in her cheeks. Teacher had stepped out for a second, so nothing was stopping the class from carrying on with their antics, joining into Nick's chant until it filled the room, a childish chorus that half of them didn't really register as an insult, only joining in because everyone else was doing it, too. Mocking something they didn't really understand in the first place.

"Franken-Shara, Freaky-Shara," Nick laughed in macabre delight. "Franken-Shara has a Freaky-Family. Are your brothers experiments too?" he asked, making Shara's shoulders tense. "Are they monsters too?"

It took a second, then Shara yelled and launched herself over the desk, making Nick shriek and overturning a container of glitter. Teacher came back to find the class in an uproar, screaming and cowering under desks like there was an earthquake. Maybe it would've been better if she had just let Shara stay in her usual seat. 

 

\------------

 

Finn leant back in his chair and rubbed his forehead, considering the principal with bleary eyes. The school had called just as he got into bed, still reeling after a malfunctioning ladder left him with a black eye and a generally disreputable look about him. Fantastic timing, really. 

"Was she provoked? She didn't just do this out of the blue, did she? There must have been a reason."

"Perhaps, but you know that she's...challenged." The principal said delicately, her fingers tightly interlaced. She had a fondness for manicures, Finn noted. Her lime green nails looked more well-cared for than Finn himself. 

"I know she's got ADHD, yes." Finn cocked an eyebrow. "That doesn't mean she's aggressive, though."

"I know a parent's instinct is to defend their child's actions, but-" She was cut off by the intercom buzzing on her desk. "Excuse me."

"Take your time." Finn crossed his arms over his chest, trying to cool down. He would have likely gotten a tad bit defensive, had she finished that sentence. Sam burbled in the carrier Finn had set on the floor at his side and he reached over, tickling under his chubby chin. The innocent little squeal he let out made Finn grin a little bit. Sam was like a living, breathing stress toy.

"-Thank you, let him in." The principle put down the receiver as the office door clicked behind them, letting in the sounds of buzzing printers and ringing phones for a brief moment. "Mr. Dameron."

"Sorry I'm late." Poe stood in the doorway, looking dapper and professional in his Air Force Blue. Thank God it was a dress uniform day. Poe could add some credibility to Finn's side of the story. Finn wasn't exactly dressed to impress; he had thrown on whatever had been lying around the bedroom, which apparently meant ripped jeans and Poe's A-2 jacket. Not his most distinguished look, admittedly. Maybe he should have spent more time colour coordinating. "What's the problem?"

"Your daughter..." After considering the medals on Poe's chest, the principal cleared her throat and went on. "Your daughter attacked another student. She has been suspended, but we need to discuss the possibility of expulsion, as well as counselling options."

"Hm. That's a problem." Poe pulled off his flight cap and smoothed back his hair, cheeks puffed out in thought. "Well, Shara's already seeing a therapist. We'll bring it up with her the next time we go. But that can't be the only reason. Her last evaluation came back fine. Nothing pointing towards aggressive tendencies. With all due respect," Poe added, his tone conveying very little of said respect. "You can't place all the blame on the fact that our kid's got a condition. Strikes me as kind of unfair." 

Finn nodded, watching Poe take the seat at his side. It was everything he had been trying to say, only the principal actually took it into consideration, now that the guy in a uniform was talking. Maybe Finn should have driven over in the firetruck, see if she didn't take him seriously then.

"You've spoken to the other kids, haven't you? It takes at least two to have a fight." he pointed out. Poe's hand sidled his way and Finn took it, running his thumb over the scars and pockmarks he had mapped out long ago. "It's not like she got into a tussle with thin air."

"Yeah. I'll admit to having been in a couple fights when I was in school, and generally they brought both kids in to discuss it. What makes this different?" Poe asked.

"Well..." The principal eyed their twined hands, wary. "I appreciate that you care about your child, but you have to face facts. The likelihood of her causing another incident-"

"But you don't know if she even caused it." Poe's voice was getting tight and Finn squeezed his hand, hoping he would calm down. After a second he took a deep breath, relaxing the barest bit. "Sorry. Can't we ask the kids what happened?" 

"If you'd like. The both of them are in the nurse's office. Follow me, please." The principal got to her feet and Finn and Poe followed, scooping Sam's carrier off the floor. As they made their way down the hall he opened his eyes, grinning when he saw Poe. He seemed to associate him with food; go figure.  

"Up!" he declared, reaching out his chubby little arms and pointing at Poe's chest. "Up!"

"Shh." Poe reached down and ruffled his hair, shaking his head. "Not right now, Sammy. Sorry." 

"Up?" Sam cocked his head, not quite understanding why he hadn't been fed yet. "Up..." When Poe shook his head again Sam crossed his arms and pouted, but a moment later he was back to sleep, disappointment completely forgotten. His life must be full of emotional ups and downs. 

What little levity they had managed to conjure up disappeared when they stepped into the nurse's office, saw the accused sitting in cheap plastic chairs along the wall. Aside from bruised knuckles, Shara looked fine. The boy sitting across from her was nursing a bloody nose, though, looking a little bit deflated as he clung to the collar of his mom's shirt. His dad was standing beside them, leaning against the wall and glaring at the floor. His head whipped towards the door when it opened, a pulse throbbing in his temple, visible under his thinning brown hair. The uniform and baby threw him off for a moment, then his pale blue eyes narrowed, razor sharp and biting as icicles.

"You her parents?" he demanded.

"Yes." But before Finn could say another word the mom was up in arms, still clutching her son to her chest. Not a happy camper, from the looks of it.

"Look what she did to my kid." she snapped. Finn set Sam's carrier down on the cracking leather couch and sighed. The mom's name was Camille, maybe? She and him had butted heads on the parent's committee more than a couple times. He really had to stop meddling in stuff like that. "You should be ashamed, raising a child like that. How could you let this happen? How could you-"

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't talk about my daughter like that while she's sitting right there." Poe interjected. He eyed Camille, his face hard and closed off. "We're the adults, here. We should discuss this outside."

"Don't you dare try and distract us." the dad snapped, stepping towards Poe. "You're daughter's got a problem. She shouldn't be in a classroom with normal kids, she shouldn't-"  

"We will discuss this outside." Poe reiterated, voice a bit cooler. The dad's lips twitched for a moment, then he shot Finn a dirty look and stalked out after Poe with his wife. Well, Poe could handle himself. 

While they carried on in hushed voices outside Finn crouched in front of Shara, pinching his forehead, trying to ward off a headache. He had been up for twenty-four hours; was a nap too much to ask? 

"Can you explain what happened, Shara?"

"I punched Nick." she mumbled. Not exactly descriptive, but Finn would have to work with it. 

"We know that. We want to know _why_ you punched Nick." Finn explained. "You have to tell me why, alright? That's the only way we can make this better. I won't be mad." he promised, one hand on her shoulder. "I just have to know why."

"'Cause he called me a monster." Shara said quietly. "He called me Frankenstein. He called Aiden and Sammy monsters too. Said we were all freaks. And then the whole class said it too and I didn't..." Shara hiccuped and covered her face. "I was so mad at him, Daddy. I was so mad and I just-"   

"Alright, baby-girl. It's okay." She buried her face in Finn's chest and he scooped her up, holding her while she sobbed. He was absolutely livid, burning under his skin, but instead of bursting out of the door and chewing out Nick's parents he just sat down on the couch with Shara in his lap, petting her hair and waiting for her to calm down. 

"Why do people say stuff like that, Daddy? Why do they think..." Her voice cut off and Finn squeezed her tighter, blinking back tears of his own. He wished he could fix this, wished he could wave a magic wand and make it so Shara never had to deal with this, never had to see this side of humanity. But he couldn't, so instead he just let her cry.

Eventually he felt someone poking his knee, soft as a thought. He raised his head and blinked at what he saw. Aiden was holding out a cookie and smiling hopefully, wanting to help, from the look of it.  

"It's for Shar." he lisped, poking Finn insistently. "It'll make her feel better. It's chocolate chip." And in Aiden's mind, chocolate chips were the answer to all life's troubles.

"Thanks, bud..." Finn furrowed his brow as Aiden climbed up beside him, handing the cookie to Shara without a word. "Wait, where did you come from?" Aiden pointed at an air vent and Finn sighed, pulling him to his chest as well. "Figures..."

 

\------------

 

"Parenting's hard." Finn sighed into Shara's hair. Poe smiled and threw a blanket over him, covering the kids as he did. They were all curled up together on Poe and Finn's bed, the kids sprawled over Finn's stomach in a cosy doggy pile. After a long, fairly unpleasant meeting in the principal's office, the five of them had walked out with a one day suspension and a note for Shara's therapist. A rather light sentence, especially considering the fact that Nick's nose had started to bleed again halfway through the meeting. At least his parents hadn't gotten off scot-free. Sensitivity training sounded like it would be fun.

"There's fun stuff, too." Poe reasoned as he crawled in beside them. Finn wrapped an arm around his shoulder and Poe sighed, burrowing in and closing his eyes, one hand immediately going to Sam's curls, the other pulling Aiden back from the edge of the bed. "Hey, tomorrow's Saturday, right? Guess this means Shara's got a three day weekend."

"That's one way to look at it." Finn snorted. What could he say? Poe was a positive guy. 

**Author's Note:**

> this series has been 95% fluff lately so here's some pain


End file.
